March 7, 2006 will mark the end of a 213 year old tradition, but it will also be the start of new era. If
all goes according to schedule, tomorrow the New York Stock Exchange
(NYSE) will complete a merger with Archipelago Holdings Inc. (Arca). [1] The
merger will create a new publicly held corporation, NYSE Group Inc.
(stock symbol: NYX) making the NYSE a for-profit public company. [2] The
merger has been a long time in the making and is not only significant
for the Big Board, but is also a major milestone in the corporate world
as once again new standards have been set. [3] The
transaction will give the NYSE, already the world’s biggest exchange,
high tech trading capabilities and 49% of the stock trading market. [4]
The Old NYSE
It was less than three years ago that the future of … Read the rest